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Wrangles in co-op as sacked team stays put

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Published on Saturday, 02 June 2007 08:12

Wrangles over the management of the Gusii farmers' savings and credit cooperative society has deepened with the Government announcing election dates to replace the 75 delegates despite resistance from the office bearers.

In a circular released by the Nyanza provincial cooperatives officer J. P. Kenduiywa, shareholders have been directed to elect 150 delegates on June 3 and then assemble the following day to elect a management committee. The notice for elections comes two weeks after shareholders sacked their management committee and the ministry backed the decision by ordering the office bearers out.

But one team, led by Mr Stephen Ogamba, has remained in office, saying the move to sack them was illegal. Five senior employees have since been shown the door for allegedly taking sides with the Government instead of the committee as their employer. The announcement to hold elections is the climax of a three-month court battle between the management committee and the Government over who had powers to call for the elections.

The Ministry of Cooperative Development two months ago called for the same elections, basing its decision on the findings of an audit report, which unearthed questionable financial deals, but the committee blocked the polls through a court injunction. But the delegates and the committee members yesterday termed the notice for the election 'illegal' and 'a waste of time.' In his notice dated May 14, and copied to district commissioners in Nyamira, Kisii and Gucha, the provincial cooperatives boss urged the members to arm themselves with their sacco share passbooks and National Identity cards for easy identification.

"The number of delegates to be elected will be 150 as recommended in the inquiry report," Mr Kenduiywa said. The number of delegates to be elected has been a bone of contention between the management committee and the government with the Ogamba team saying the high number will be counter productive to the Sacco.